Zeppole Recipe - Italian Donuts (2024)

FAQs

What are Italian Doughnuts made of? ›

Zeppole are Italian doughnuts. They are made from pate choux dough, the same one used for cream puffs and eclairs, made from cooking water/milk with butter and flour and then beating in eggs. The dough is then fried. The little balls cook up golden, crisp and really tender.

Zeppola (Italian: [ˈdzeppola]; pl. : zeppole), sometimes called frittelle, and in Sardinia italianized zippole or zeppole sarde from the original Sardinian tzípulas, is an Italian pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball of varying size but typically about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter.

The main difference between a beignet and a zeppole is the dough as well as the shape. Zeppoles are looser than beignets, and the dough tends to be stickier. They're also made by drop spooning them into oil, whereas beignets have a very distinct square or rectangle shape.

Zeppole are, and while you can get them just about anywhere in Italy these days, their true home is anywhere south of Rome (where they are called Bignè di San Giuseppe), southern Lazio (where they are sfinge), but particularly in Salerno.

Doughnuts are usually deep fried from a flour dough, but other types of batters can also be used. Various toppings and flavors are used for different types, such as sugar, chocolate or maple glazing. Doughnuts may also include water, leavening, eggs, milk, sugar, oil, shortening, and natural or artificial flavors.

Frittelle ( sg. : frittella) are a type of Italian fried doughnut made from dough, typically with raisins, orange peels, or lemon peel in them. They are eaten in and around the Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions; however, they originated around the Giuliani areas of Trieste and Venice.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe – This version takes things up a notch! These are made with a choux pastry dough, which is then piped into the hot oil much like churros (but in a circular shape). Once they are fried and drained, they are filled and topped with pastry cream, and an Italian black cherry is added to the top!

Zeppole Origin Story

And, it wouldn't be a surprise that this treat came from northern Africa since the migration of food to Italy, Spain, and Malta from Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt was common. In the early 1800's a baker from Naples, Pasquale Pintauro, popularized the custom of eating zeppole on Saint Joseph's Day.

Pizza dough fried and sprinkled with sugar while warm make these Zeppole the perfect snack. When I was growing up, periodically my Sicilian mother would make Zeppole. Imagine golden fried pizza dough that puffs up when it hits the hot oil and is abundantly sprinkled with sugar once it's out of the frying pan.

zeppole. Sometimes fried, sometimes baked, these traditional doughnuts also come in different shapes and flavours depending on the region. They can even sometimes have a different name, such as bignè, sfinge or crispelli.

How do you keep zeppoles fresh? ›

Your homemade zeppoles will keep fresh for about 2-3 days. Make sure you place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep them from going stale. You can also freeze them for up to six months in the freezer.

3) PASTRIES

Be sure to indulge in plenty of zeppole (custard piped into a deep-fried pastry) and sfingi (filled with cannoli cream). Be a pro when ordering the dessert: “Sfingi” is pronounced “su-feen-gee.”

Perhaps the most iconic Italian dessert, tiramisu appears on menus at restaurants not only throughout Italy but also all over the world.

Originally created for Father's Day, they have also become one of the most popular Carnival pastries. Zeppole are deep-fried dough balls, typical of Southern Italy. They might have originated in Ancient Rome, in the guise of fritters, decorated with sugar or cinnamon.

In current times, Italians celebrate March 19th as the Feast of Saint Joseph, which many call St. Joseph's Day. This day is also recognized as Father's Day in many countries. Zeppole is the dessert known to be eaten on this day, and no matter how this tradition came to be, we're just happy to have it!

The Honey Dew Coconut Jelly Stick is the most calorie and sugar-heavy donut on our list with 590 calories and 40 grams of sugar per stick. Not only that, but it has a whopping 680 milligrams of sodium, which is almost a third of the recommended daily limit.

Bomboloni are pretty similar to America's favorite sweet snack, but there are several key differences between the two: firstly, American donuts are made with cut-out dough when bomboloni are formed into balls; secondly, the leavening process for bomboloni takes a lot longer, and they tend to be airier and fluffier than ...

At the restaurant, you get a plate of warm Zeppolis with your choice of raspberry sauce or chocolate sauce. But why choose? My Olive Garden Zeppolis recipe here makes 2 dozen pillowy pastries, which you can serve with both raspberry and chocolate dipping sauces, or with any sweet sauce you like.

They were introduced to America by the Dutch in New Netherlands to America as oliekoecken (oil cakes or fried cakes). Made of yeast dough rich in eggs and butter, spices, and dried fruits, their sweetness came from the fruit and the final dusting of sugar.